New Session Brings New Opportunity
January 4, 2019
New Opportunity to Serve on PASSHE Board of Governors
My focus is going to be on quality and affordability. We want the children of working-class families to view our state-owned universities as an affordable option to acquire a quality higher education. We need to control costs in an effort to avoid tuition hikes that could place a quality education out of reach for many working-class families. I will serve as one of four legislators – House Republicans, House Democrats, Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats each are allotted one position – on the 20-member board of governors. The governor or his designee serves on the board. The governor also appoints 11 members of the board, which must be confirmed by the state Senate. Three students, selected from among the universities’ student government association presidents, serve on the board. The final position is reserved for the Pennsylvania secretary of education or his designee. The board votes on tuition increases and union contracts, hires presidents for each college, enacts the budget, approves new majors and develops policies for the system. I think we all want to see the state-owned universities like Edinboro, Slippery Rock and Clarion succeed by meeting the needs of their students. We want to see Pennsylvania state-owned university students graduate, acquire good jobs here in the Commonwealth and raise their families in our communities. My appointment is for the 2019-20 Legislative Session of the General Assembly. Learn more about what’s going on with our state government by visiting my website at RepRoae.com and by following me on Facebook at Facebook.com/RepRoae. More information about PASSHE is available at PASSHE.edu. |
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| Ready to Get to Work in New House Session
The state Constitution stipulates the House must convene on the first Tuesday of each year. The first Tuesday this year fell on New Year’s Day, so legislators were at the Capitol on the holiday to officially convene the new session. I plan to focus my efforts on enacting policies to control state spending, streamline government and protect taxpayers. I also will continue pushing to reform our state government so it is more transparent and accountable to the taxpayers who fund it. The House is now comprised of 110 Republicans and 91 Democrats, including 43 first-term members. There are two vacancies. On swearing-in day, representatives also selected a speaker of the House, certified election results and adopted rules to govern the chamber. |
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| PA Farm Show Starts on Saturday
In addition to all the delicious food offerings, the Farm Show features 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibitors. Admission to the show is free, but parking is $15 per vehicle. Shuttle service is provided. More information is available at farmshow.pa.gov. |
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| New Law Cracks Down on Repeat DUI Offenders
Pennsylvania was previously one of four states that did not punish repeat DUIs as felonies. Act 153 fixes that by increasing penalties for repeated DUI crimes. Under the new law, any individual convicted of his or her third DUI with a BAC of 0.16 or higher could be found guilty of a felony offense. The same penalty would apply to all individuals convicted of four or more DUI offenses. Repeat offenders who are convicted of homicide while DUI now face a minimum prison sentence of five or seven years, up from the previous three-year minimum. |
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| Increased Funding to Aid Ambulance Services
Approved as part of the 2018-19 budget, reimbursement rates have increased from $200 to not less than $300 for Advanced Life Support (ALS) services and from $120 to $180 for Basic Life Support (BLS) services, effective January 1. The increases, to be funded by $4 million in state funds and approximately $8 million in federal matching funds, are necessary to help meet growing costs faced by the Commonwealth’s emergency medical service providers. It is the first increase since 2004. To further support these life-saving services, another new law, Act 103 of 2018, requires both private insurers and Medicaid to reimburse for treatment provided regardless of whether transport takes place. This is a common occurrence with patients suffering with diabetes as well as for drug overdose calls. Additional initiatives to shore up the state’s fire and emergency response organizations were outlined in a recent report released under Senate Resolution 6 of 2017. The report includes 92 concepts incorporated into 27 recommendations to address challenges in the fire and EMS communities, with most of them focused on staffing, funding and training needs. |
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